Travelling allsorts

A post-hurricane, pre-Christmas trip to Florida was very pleasant: ten days of sunshine with temperatures in the high 20s Celcius. Shopping We took a small suitcase each plus one empty one, so our first outing was a trip to one of the Designer Outlets just off the i-4, to buy our holiday clothes and save at least 50% off original $ prices. It wasn't quite straightforward as many shops were stocking for the 'cold' winter to come. Always a plethora of T-shirts and a good choice of sports shoes, though. Theme Parks Not too busy. Having avoided Disney parks during our previous visit, we spent two days exploring Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom - this time, we took the Jeep Safari in the dark and it was worth it! The animals, especially the lions, were more active at night than during the hot days. In the Studios park, we also enjoyed the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. We spent two days at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, our favourite theme...

Paris at Christmas is, of course, magical. We stayed a short train ride to the east - near Coulommiers, with its lovely park and many other places of interest (hidden in various back streets). The town is surrounded by chateaux, local cheese-makers (specialising in Brie) and champagne vineyards; nearby water activities are available in the summer and Disneyland-Paris is easily accessible. On Christmas Eve we took the train to Paris, visiting the Sacre Coeur and Monmartre, with its artists and restaurants. Knowing the area quite well, we then strolled around, taking in the Parisian architecture, the Moulin Rouge and the bridge from the film, Inception. Just along the Seine from here, you can also stroll along the middle of the river to a small version of the Statue of Liberty. As evening arrived, we glimpsed the Eiffel Tower and made our way through affluent streets to the Champs Elysees, eating pizza then visiting the Christmas market.      The weather was gloomy at time...

New Year's Week in Florida was a mixed bag of temperatures: from mid-20s Celsius to mid-20s Fahrenheit! No rain, though. Mostly sunny and a cold, cold wind. The TV forecasts are quite accurate and allow you to plan your week, e.g. theme park, beach, shopping mall.   At the Theme Parks Surprisingly busy. Parks schedule annual maintenance during the winter months so one of the rides in each park may be unavailable. With Disneyland Paris so easily accessible, we decided to limit our Disney time to the Animal Kingdom. We took the Jeep Safari and rode Expedition Everest, a slightly more intense version of Big Thunder Mountain. We bought a 2-day, 2-park ticket for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We were stunned that Express Pass , their version of Disney's free fast-pass system was being offered throughout the parks for $60 per person!!! (And even more stunned that people had actually bought them.) Interestingly, a big new section is under construction where Jaws us...

California is long - over 1,000 miles, which is more or less double* the length of Britain (*depending which criteria you use) therefore the temperatures between the northern and southern-most areas varies greatly, enabling visitors to enjoy a pleasant climate at any time of the year, somewhere in the 'The Golden State'. There are also differences between coastal regions and inland (mountains, valleys and deserts). At the time of writing, mid-October, the current temperatures midnight-midday are: North Lake Tahoe 34F - 66F (1C - 19C) San Francisco 49F - 63F (9C - 17C) Sacramento 55F - 81F (13C - 27C) South Santa Barbara 52F - 67F (11C - 19C) Los Angeles 62F - 66F (17C - 19C) Palm Springs 69F - 91F (21C - 33C) One reason why wealthy people often have homes in Palm Springs is quite obvious; there is also the aerial tramway and many golf courses. By contrast, Lake Tahoe is close to Mammoth and June mountains...